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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. tear — from crying
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. cap — a hat
  9. wound — an injury
  10. deal — to handle
  11. wax — to grow
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. chest — a box
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — of your body
  19. tear — from crying
  20. rock — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chest — of your body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com